[Kamen Rider Die]

KAMEN RIDER ZERO-ONE EPISODE 39 - “UNPREDICTABLE OUTCOME”



See, this episode is way more of what I’m looking for, structurally. There’s a core character beat – Gai’s personal evolution – and then the episode spins that out to talk about Progress as a concept: how personal growth is necessary to meet new challenges, and how tricky and sometimes off-putting it can be to others when you improve yourself.

If this’d just been an episode about Gai going on an apology tour, it’d still be a fantastic episode. His egotism and narcissism haven’t dimmed in the light of his newfound dog-based emotional healing, which is the best decision this show has ever and could ever make. Gai’s the worst kind of less-awful dipshit, where the move from Genocidal Capitalist to Just Sort Of An Asshole has him so in awe of his capacity for change that he needs everyone to know about his arduous journey of self-discovery. His revelations are saccharine and generic, but since they happened to him, he’s convinced they’re fascinating and unique. (When he tells Aruto that he’s the embodiment of Grampa Hiden’s dream!!!) He’s funnier as a changed man than he ever was scary as a villain, and I am eating his nonsense up.

But we also get the Ark stuff, and that’s even better.

I love how Gai’s bid for redemption becomes 1000% less funny when Aruto’s involved. There’s weight behind Aruto’s anger, and it’s the weight of an entire series cleaning up Gai’s messes. Gai just being like I’m Happy Now is… I was going to say “it’s nice, but”, except it’s not even nice to Aruto. He ended up fixing Gai, kind of accidentally (when he saved the VPs from Hiden Intelligence, he was mostly just happy to have Gai out of his hair), but that doesn’t even start to make up for the shit Gai pulled. He created a humanity-hating satellite that is currently trying to exterminate humanity! Who cares about his goddamn dog! (I do. Forever.) Aruto’s righteous in his fury at Gai, demanding that Gai stop praising himself for his growth and start actively making a positive difference in the lives of people he’d hurt. And, yeah, bow better! 90 degrees!

Gai’s apology tour is a super fun way to loop in some of the show’s many subplots, to create a more organic placement of scenes in the episode. The Shotrisers aren’t just operating on the fringes, they’re dialed into both the plot (getting AIMS back up and running as something other than ZAIA’s jackboots) and the themes (Fuwa is willing to give Gai the benefit of the doubt, owning his grudge and turning it into something useful).

Even the Ikazuchi stuff is just another facet of the theme of Progress, where his second Singularity is immediately mistrusted by Jin, but welcomed by Aruto. This entire episode’s hero plot is about how the only way to beat Ark is to collaborate in ways it can’t predict: by leveraging Raiden’s return, or by teaming up with Kamen Rider Thouser. Ark can’t predict that people would change or grow. His view of others is as tools, as something that can be easily quantified and harnessed. People becoming better than they were yesterday – more humble, more considerate, more generous – literally doesn’t compute for the Ark. The Ark’s strength is in the predictable.

Which is why Aruto’s so soundly defeated at the end. Aruto’s exceptionally easy to trap, because he always cares so much. Gai joining the fight is totally unpredictable. Jin turning on Horobi is unpredictable. But Aruto showing up without a way to defeat the enemy, because he has to try anyway? You can set your watch to that.

When the enemy can even turn Aruto’s selflessness against him, it’s a dark ending. But, man, I am very interested in how Team Zero-One is gonna turn this one around. I think I’m finally caring about the villain plot of this series?